Wagner HS students push back against bullying

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It took a beating dished out for her being raised by her grandparents, and for her Jewish faith, before Ashley Klein of Westerleigh finally found the courage to break the chain of bullying that dominated six years of her early life.

For having red hair and being bravely independent, Jonathan Diel of New Springville endured years of abuse before attending high school.

These are just some examples of the hateful acts that students at Susan E. Wagner High School were trying to eradicate with yesterday’s "Mind Matters Peace Movement" rally on the front steps of the Sea View building.

Although a Staten Island-specific breakdown was not available, citywide statistics suggest that hundreds of "bias-related incidents" occurred in the borough during the last school year.

"Bullying is damaging in several ways for anyone who is involved in it or has to suffer through it, because it affects your self-esteem and what you think you can accomplish," said Faith-Marie Ortiz of Westerleigh, a member of the Mind Matters group at the school. "We’re also here to not only end that but to tell everyone that no one can put a limit on what you can accomplish."

Miss Klein, currently a ninth-grader, suffered steady nagging at the hands of her tormentors, causing her to cry every night, until she was 12 years old. The maltreatment affected her performance in school to the point where she was failing, she said.

"That affected my studies; I failed every class," Miss Klein explained. "Then I came here, and I did a lot better because everyone is nicer."

Using his experience with bullying to solidify his personality, Diel resisted the urge to change who he is because others found ways to pick on him for it.

"In a way it was bad, obviously, because I was kind of being discriminated against, but it was also good in the fact that it helped me to rise up and be my own individual," Diel said. "I want to be who I want to be, and no one can tell me otherwise."

Miss Klein and Diel approached friends to break the chains of bullying that bound them, and they suggested that anyone agonizing through the same indignities should reach out for help.

"You just have to go to someone who has a little more knowledge than you, a little more experience — and it doesn’t even have to be a parent," Diel said. "It could be an older sibling. Someone who could just guide you through it."

The scourge of bullying touches countless lives: Most attendees at the rally admitted that they either have been bullied at one point or know someone who has.

The word is spreading to other schools, such as Paulo Intermediate School in Huguenot and PS 6 in Richmond Valley, said Mind Matters founder Sheree Sobel, a social worker at Wagner High School.

"Everyone is doing something today to be part of the peace movement," Ms. Sobel said. "And to send out a very powerful statement that we will not tolerate any more hurting each other."